Posts Tagged ‘arizona sod’

Summer is a time to spend outside with friends. It means big BBQs, lawn games, and probably a few four-legged furry friends who want to get in on some of the action. Unfortunately, heavy foot traffic is not ideal for a healthy sod lawn. If you plan to throw outdoor parties this summer, here are some tips on how to keep your lawn beautiful while avoiding damage to your sod.

Make Friends with Mulch

Mulch is a great space filler when summer fun ensues. It’s decorative, easy to buy in large batches, and can be spread across large areas. It’s also multi-useful, acting as a beautifier, boundary space, and safety element.

Put mulch or small gravel under jungle gyms and swing sets so you don’t have to worry about bare spots forming in your lawn.

Move Large Items That Rest on your Sod Lawn

If you keep large items in one place for too long, the grass underneath will become deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing it to turn sickly yellow or brown in the shape of the object that was over it. When your lawn has large, heavy items on it, be sure to move them to a new location every other day to keep the grass beneath it from suffering.

Example item might include:

Corn hole game and other lawn games

Kiddie pools

Slip ‘N Slides

Bounce castles

Jungle gyms (if they’re light enough to move)

Trampolines

Create a Safe Space for Your Flower Beds

When the good times get going, your guests can easily overlook the stunning flowers you’ve spent so much time working to procure into perfect petals. It would be a shame to see someone trample on them because they didn’t realize there was a don’t-walk space directly beneath their feet.

To prevent this mishap, add a decorative fence around your flower bed. This is an awesome opportunity to take your gardening creativity to a new level. This might be the perfect time to install a river rock dry creek, adding an aesthetic element to your outside space.

Place Your Paths Strategically

You can influence the routes your guests take when they walk on the lawn by carefully placing your patio furniture, grill, and games in a manner that necessitates minimal foot traffic on your lawn. If you have a gazebo or meeting space that’s a bit further away from your house, install stepping stones to add an appealing path that will guide your guests from here to there, while protecting the surrounding grass from incurring foot traffic.

If you need extra sod to fix damaged areas on your lawn, or are looking for a brand new sod lawn, stop by Evergreen Turf and let us get you ready for your next outdoor party today!

Arizona is known for its native desert soil. If you’ve ever tried to grow a lush, green lawn in Phoenix or Tucson, there are certain challenges that are quite unique to the climate and soil in the Southwest.

What’s the issue with soil in Arizona?

Native desert soil doesn’t store water very well, which can cause the sod to dry out very easily. Naturally, we don’t see a lot of rainfall in this part of the country, which means you have to be diligent about adhering to a watering schedule that’s right for your chosen type of grass during each phase of its growth, paying attention to the temperatures and time of year as each season progresses. Native desert soil is also comprised of few nutrients and can’t accumulate the nutrients it does receive very well.

Another difficulty with Arizona soil is the fact that it lacks the microorganisms that live in good soil. Microorganisms are essential for a healthy lawn, as they help feed the grass’s roots and keep everything beneath the surface alive and well.

How to Improve Native Soil so You Can Plant a Healthy Sod Lawn

Fortunately, the difficulties that come with native Arizona soil can easily be overcome with a little bit of lawn care due diligence.

Till your soil. To begin, till your soil down to a depth of about six to eight inches. During this time, you can work in some compost as you go, helping to replace vital nutrients the soil will need to sustain your sod.

Remove weeds. As everyone knows, weeds are a problem. They take the vitamins, mineral, and water away from your lawn’s roots and keep it for themselves. If you can remove weeds as you’re prepping your soil, you’ll set yourself up for greater success in the long run.

Mix in top soil. Top soil, or soil amendment, is formulated with special ingredients to help your lawn grow. This step will provide your grass the opportunity to form a deep root system. In other words, your lawn will be stronger because the foundation will be firmly in the ground and fit to create a green landscape.

Now your soil is ready for sod! Of course, you don’t want to pick just any sod. It’s important to look for a grass that will grow well in the conditions your property provides, taking into account how much shade the sod will receive, how much care you’ll be able to provide, and which type of equipment you’ll be using to keep it trimmed. Not sure which type of sod is best for you? Use our Lawn Selector tool to drill down on blades of grass that’ll give you the optimal outcome.

Evergreen Turf is Arizona’s place for beautiful lawns. If you’re in need of sod, contact our team. We’ll deliver your sod right to your home. We also offer installation, or you can choose to install it yourself.

Welcome to late spring in Arizona! The temperatures are quickly rising, and – if you haven’t already done so – it’s time to transition your lawn from winter to summer sod. Arizona’s climate is a special place, and the care your lawn needs is specific to our region. What works for other parts of the country simply isn’t applicable for a high-desert area, so to help you transition to your summer lawn, we’ve compiled a few tips.

Mid- to Late Spring: Proper Temperatures

In Arizona, transitioning from winter to summer sod usually starts when temperatures hit 95 to 100 degrees on a regular basis. When the thermometer begins to approach triple digits on a regular basis, rye wilts out, and Bermuda grass tries to grow.

At this phase, the first step is to lower the blades on your mower. By lowering your mowing height, you’ll give Bermuda the room it needs to grow.

Early to Mid-Summer: Dethatching

You should dethatch your lawn early to mid-summer. It’s important to wait until the Bermuda grass is ready to grow. If you dethatch too early, the process will discourage the rye grass from growing. Be mindful that dethatching can stress your lawn out a bit, so it’s important to take care of it throughout the process.

Alternatively, you can dethatch in mid-August when Bermuda grass is growing like crazy because it’s had all summer to become strong and healthy. If you wait until late summer, it will recover very quickly.

Early May: Fertilizing

You’ll want to use a complete fertilizer. Around May 1st, put your fertilizer out at half-rate. If you use full-rate fertilizer this early, the rye grass will grow too much. Although this may sound ideal, it’s not a good thing. You can use full-rate fertilizer in June when the Bermuda grass is really growing.

Throughout the Process: Watering

Your grass needs water throughout the transition process, but your lawn needs different amounts at distinct phases in the process. Be mindful that when it gets hot, your lawn will get spots as part of the transition process. Don’t overreact by over-watering. Instead, you simply need to hand-water your lawn just enough to nurture the brown spots away. If you water every two to three days, this should do the trick.

Are you ready to transition your Arizona lawn from winter to summer grass, but you’re not sure where to start? Our team at Evergreen Turf is here to help! Look at our How to Install Sod page, and feel free to reach out to us at 480.456.1199 if you have any questions!

It’s that time of year again…time for the Arizona Cardinals training camp which includes 18 practices and two preseason home games going on now through August 24. It’s free and open to the public, giving Cardinals fans the opportunity to watch the pro football players practice on the NFL’s top grass field, according to player surveys.

The field is truly one-of-a-kind. It’s made up of 19 million pounds of soil, sand, water and Bermuda grass. And in order to make it transportable, it’s placed in a movable barge that can be rolled in and out of University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on 500 steel wheels.

The unique technology on the Cardinals field has allowed it to withstand 10 annual home games, high-school title games, soccer, the Fiesta Bowl, two national championship college games and one Super Bowl over 8 seasons. What’s more, the fact that the field can roll out has allowed dozens of other events to take place inside the stadium without any damage done to this valuable field.

The Cardinals will be enjoying this training camp for the second time on this field, a marked change from the original training camp location in Flagstaff, Arizona. And according to Arizona Central, the Cardinals vice president of operations, John Drum has gone on record saying that the turf technology at the stadium has worked “flawlessly.”

In fact, the surface is softer and more stable than standard outdoor fields, which actually reduces player injuries. The only other field that comes close to the Cardinals field in North America is the Houston Texans field, but even that field has its sod grown in 8×8 pallets that are installed with forklifts.

So who is responsible for creating this original playing field that is considered to be the best in the country? None other than Evergreen Turf.

Evergreen Turf, Arizona’s premier sod producer, is the exclusive licensed seller of TifGrand bermudagrass in the Southwest. TifGrand bermudagrass is brand new to the sod market. One of the most distinctive and beneficial characteristics of the TifGrand variety is it can grow in the shade! Evergreen Turf is currently one of 18 licensed turf providers to sell this amazing new sod variety.

For Arizona residents TifGrand Bermudagrass is an excellent sod choice. Arizona residents who want shade in the heat of the summer no longer have to compromise their beautiful green lawn. If your yard contains shade tree coverage or if your home creates shade coverage over your lawn during the day, TifGrand might be the answer for you.

Can flourish in growth in 60-70% shade coverage; is known to continue growth well in up to 90% shade levels.

Can grow at the same capacity in full sun.

Requires considerably less water and fertilizer.

Has a naturally denser and darker green blade.

Mole cricket non-preference, which means the pests will eat it, but will eat other grass varieties nearby first.

TifGrand was developed by scientists Dr. Wayne Hanna and Dr. Kris Braman and the University of Georgia’s turfgrass breeding program.

Arizona was a testing location throughout the development process of TifGrand bermudagrass and Evergreen Turf is confident this new sod variety will be a great choice for Arizona residents. Not only is TifGrand great for Arizona homeowners, but it is also a great sod variety for golf courses, athletics fields, and stadiums.

Anywhere where turf grows and shade is present, make the change to TifGrand bermudagrass.

*Please note that all TifGrand cannot tolerate 100% shade. It will still require 4 hours or more of sunlight per day in order to thrive.

Evergreen Turf, your Arizona sod producer, is proud to be the premier supplier of MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermudagrass in Arizona and California. MiniVerde Bermudagrass was designed specifically for high-stress golf course greens and has received praise from golf course superintendents and golfers alike.

Spring has officially arrived, which means it’s time to start preparing for new landscaping projects and seasonal lawn maintenance. Every year, lawns, no matter how big or small, go through similar seeding and fertilization cycles and spring is the time when grass starts growing again. If you want to ensure a healthy lawn, take note of these tips.

Mulch is used as a protective covering for plants to help them stay healthy. When placed around the plant, mulch can reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation by up to 30 percent. It can also prevent weed growth and frozen roots. Mulch can be especially beneficial to folks in Arizona as it is a particularly dry desert climate with close-to-freezing temperatures in the winter.

You can find many different types of mulch from organic materials to inorganic materials. They can vary in texture from fine to coarse and in some instances, rocks can even suffice as proper mulch. To choose the right type of mulch for your lawn, find one that meshes well with your landscape design and reduces water loss at the same time.

Mulch helps drainage and encourages root development for plants in your yard. Additionally, mulch improves the soil in your yard by making nutrients more accessible to plants. Insulating soil and plants during winter months and cooling them during summer months is another benefit gained from installing mulch in your backyard landscape. It can also serve as a nice decorative style to your landscape design.

Organic mulches include materials that were once living. Some examples of organic mulch are bark, leaves, wood chips and compost. If you’re looking to find organic mulch, many nurseries have mulches specially prepared which you can purchase. Rocks are considered inorganic material and serve as a good alternative to organic mulch. However, it’s important to note that rocks can get hot which can hurt your lawn. As a tip, rock mulch should be shaded with water-efficient plants.

Using your hands is the best way to spread the mulch. During the cooler seasons, layer it about one to three inches. As a rule, the mulch and the plants do not come in direct contact with one another as this may cause certain disease problems. Instead, form a ring of mulch about two to three inches away from the plant. Once this is done, water the mulch a little bit to moisten it and settle it into place.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Evergreen Turf, Arizona’s premier sod farm. Check out our lawn care guide for more useful resources and to find answers to all of your lawn care questions.

Now that you’ve discovered where to buy sod in Arizona, your new lawn from Evergreen Turf may have inspired you to create a landscape that attracts wildlife. Creating a wildlife habitat in your backyard that attracts hummingbirds, chipmunks and other creatures is pretty simple. A wildlife habitat consists of five primary elements. (more…)